Double impatiens plant named &#39;Cameo Lavender Rose&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Double Impatiens plant named ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’, characterized by its compact, mounded and outwardly spreading plant habit; rapid growth rate; freely branching habit; dense foliage; freely flowering habit; fully double flower form and large lavender rose flowers that are positioned above and beyond the foliage.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Plant Patent Application No. 60/603,723 filed Aug. 23, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Impatiens walleriana

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Cameo Lavender Rose’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Impatiens walleriana, known by the cultivar name ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’. The new variety is a product of a planned breeding program conducted in Cartago, Costa Rica. The purpose of the breeding program was to develop compact and mounded cultivars with fully double flowers, large flower size and interesting flower colors. The new variety originated from a cross of two proprietary selections of Impatiens walleriana: IDXCCH-3 (female parent) (unpatented) and IDXCCH-4 (male parent) (unpatented). Comparisons between the new variety and its parents cannot be made, as the parental varieties no longer exist. The cultivar ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’ was discovered and selected as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Cartago, Costa Rica. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new variety are stable and reproduced true to type in successive propagations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’. Characteristics that distinguish ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’ as a new and distinct cultivar from others known to the breeder include:

1) Large flower size of 4.5 to 5.0 cm in diameter;

2) Compact, mounded, spreading growth habit;

3) Freely branching habit;

4) Rounded leaves with dense foliage;

5) Flower remains fully double even under stressful environmental conditions; and

6) Lavender rose flowers are carried above the leaf canopy and face upward.

Plants of the new variety can be compared to plants of the Impatiens walleriana cultivar ‘Cameo Lavender’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,338. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new variety differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Cameo Lavender’ in the following characteristics:

1) Plants of the new variety were taller than the plants of ‘Cameo Lavender’;

2) Plants of the new variety had leaves that were longer and wider than plants of ‘Cameo Lavender’;

3) Plants of the new variety had a stem color of 148C with a cast of 184C at the nodes, whereas plants of ‘Cameo Lavender’ had a stem color of 147C;

4) Plants of the new variety had more flowers per lateral stem than plants of ‘Cameo Lavender’; and

5) Plants of the new variety had flowers that were fully double in the centers, whereas plants of ‘Cameo Lavender’ had flowers that were distorted in the centers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photographic drawing illustrates the new variety with the colors being as nearly true as is possible to obtain in colored illustrations of this type.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The cultivar ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length and light intensity. However, there is no variance in genotype.

In the following description, color references are made to the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants were grown under commercial practice during the late winter through early spring of 2003 in Lompoc, Calif., in a corrugated polycarbonate-covered greenhouse with 30% shade covering. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 21 to 24° C.; night temperatures ranged from 16 to 18° C.; and light levels ranged from 4000 to 5000 foot candles of light. Plants used in the following description were grown in 15 cm containers for about nine to ten weeks after planting rooted cuttings.

Propagation

-   Type cutting: Terminal cuttings. -   Time to initiate roots:     -   -   Summer.—About 10 days at 21° C.         -   Winter.—About 12 days at 21° C. -   Time to produce a rooted cutting:     -   -   Summer.—About 21 days at 21° C.         -   Winter.—About 21 days at 21° C. -   Root description: Fibrous, fine, white in color. -   Root habit: Freely branching, dense.

Plant Description

-   General appearance: Compact, mounded and outwardly spreading.     Appropriate for 10-15 cm. pots and 20 to 25 cm hanging basket     containers. -   Growth and branching habit: Vigorous and freely-branching habit with     at least 10 lateral branches developing per plant, dense growth.     Pinching (removal of terminal apex) is usually not required. -   Crop time: Relatively rapid growth rate.     -   -   From planting one rooted cutting in a 10 cm pot.—About 5 to             6 weeks.         -   From planting three rooted cuttings in a 25 cm hanging             basket container.—About 8 to 10 weeks. -   Plant height at flowering: About 18 to 20 cm. -   Plant width (spread): About 28 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 20 to 25 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 6 to 10 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 1 to 3 cm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—148C with a cast of 184C near the nodes. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; densely foliated.         -   Length.—About 5.5 to 6 cm.         -   Width.—About 3 to 3.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Acute to rounded.         -   Margin.—Slightly serrated with fine ciliation.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: 146A. Developing             leaves, lower surface: 146B. Fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: 147A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: 147B             with cast of 185D in some areas. Venation, upper surface:             147B. Venation, lower surface: 148A.         -   Petiole length.—About 15 to 18 mm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Petiole texture upper and lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Petiole color.—147B with a slight cast of 185D.

Flower Description

-   Flower type and habit: Numerous and consistently double lavender     rose flowers. Freely and continuously flowering. Flower buds open     similar to a rose in fullness; flowers rounded. Usually 15 to 22     flowers and flower buds per lateral branch. Flowers are positioned     above the foliage and typically face outward to upward. Flowers last     about 7 to 10 days on the plant. Flowers not persistent. Flowers not     fragrant. -   Flowering season: Year-round under greenhouse conditions. In the     garden, flowering from spring until fall. Flowering indeterminate     and continuous. -   Flower diameter: About 4.5 to 5 cm. -   Flower depth (height): About 2 cm. -   Flower buds:     -   -   Rate of opening.—From full color bud to full open flower,             about 5 to 7 days is typical depending on temperature.         -   Length.—About 18 mm.         -   Diameter.—About 12 mm.         -   Shape.—Obovate.         -   Color (just before opening): 75B. -   Petals:     -   -   Quantity/arrangement.—About 30 to 35; imbricate.         -   Length, outer petals.—About 25 mm.         -   Width, outer petals.—About 20 mm.         -   Shape.—Cordate.         -   Apex.—Rounded with inner petals showing indentations.         -   Base.—Acute.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Glabrous, smooth.         -   Color.—When opening, upper surface: 67B. When opening, lower             surface: 68B from edge to 69A near center. Fully opened,             upper surface: 73A fading to 73B. Fully opened, lower             surface: 68B from edge to 73D. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—About 25 to 30 mm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Angle.—About 45° to the lateral branch.         -   Strength.—Strong.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—146C. -   Reproductive organs: Not applicable due to fully double flowers. -   Fruit/seed development: Fruit and seed development has not been     observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new variety have not been     observed to date to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Impatiens. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new variety have been observed     to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from 5 to 38°     C. 

1. A new and distinct variety of Impatiens named ‘Cameo Lavender Rose’ as herein described and illustrated. 